Third-Party Candidacies Worrying Party Leaders

By RICHARD L. BERKE

Published: July 10, 1999

PHILADELPHIA, July 9—
Republican Party leaders meeting here said today they were distressed, even alarmed, that conservative contenders for the Presidential nomination might mount third-party candidacies to protest the party establishment's embrace of Gov. George W. Bush of Texas.

But just as party officials gathered behind closed doors at the Republican Party's summer convention to discuss whether to call on candidates to pledge that they would not defect, advisers to Senator Robert C. Smith of New Hampshire said he would announce on Tuesday his intention to run as a third-party candidate.

Even before Mr. Smith's decision was known, several party leaders expressed concerns that any renegade who abandoned the field could siphon precious votes from the Republican nominee in November 2000. In interviews, they said they were deeply worried despite the fact that Mr. Smith and others who are said to be considering third-party candidacies -- Gary L. Bauer, the former head of the Family Research Council, and Patrick J. Buchanan, the conservative commentator -- are barely registering in the polls.

The prospect of third-party candidacies has gained currency in recent weeks among conservatives who contend that Mr. Bush, as well as party leaders in Washington, are not sufficiently conservative on issues like abortion, taxes and gun control. They have also expressed frustration that no champion has emerged from the right to take on Mr. Bush, even though several devoted conservatives are in the race.

Republicans are eyeing running as members of the U.S. Taxpayer Party or the Reform Party of Ross Perot.

Jim Nicholson, the party's national chairman, had been expected today to raise with party officials the possibility of calling on Republican candidates to pledge not to run on a third-party ticket if they lose the nomination. But since it would be too late in the case of Mr. Smith, party officials said they would put off such a discussion.

Instead, Mr. Nicholson denounced Mr. Smith's plans and implored him to reconsider, saying, ''It would be tragic for your decades of work in the conservative movement to be undone by a short-sighted decision whose only negligible impact would be to provide marginal help to Al Gore, the most extreme liberal in a generation.''

Stephen Duprey, chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party, was particularly harsh, saying of Mr. Smith: ''This is a selfish move, and it is doomed to failure. It signals the end of his political career in New Hampshire.''

Mr. Duprey and his counterpart in Iowa, Kayne Robinson, had planned to send a letter on Monday to every candidate seeking their written pledge not to run as a third-party candidate. The moves by those chairmen are important because Iowa and New Hampshire hold the first crucial primary contests.

But Mr. Duprey and Mr. Robinson put off their letter after other party officials cautioned them at a private meeting today that the effort might be too heavy-handed. Mr. Duprey said the sentiment of other party leaders was, ''Do we want to get in the business of drawing hard lines?''

In interviews here before word surfaced about Mr. Smith, many party leaders said they believed that Mr. Perot's candidacy in 1992 diminished President George Bush's chance for re-election -- and they fear a repeat from a Republican who runs on a third-party ticket.

''Every Republican is concerned with a potential third-party candidacy,'' said Dee Stewart, executive director of the Iowa Republican Party. ''It could do nothing but hurt us.''

Michael McDaniel, chairman of the Indiana Republican Party, said the party should do whatever it could to satisfy candidates who threatened to bolt.

''Look,'' Mr. McDaniel said, ''these folks are important to our base and we should do things to keep them in the fold. It's counterproductive to be in a situation that would jeopardize our chances.''

Speaking of the wide support here for Mr. Bush, he said, ''The groundswell is so big that small splinters may not have the effect they would have'' if the party was more divided over a nominee. But, he added, ''it's better not to have any splinters.''

Mr. Duprey also said it would be a mistake to play down the threat from runaway candidates, asserting, ''To say, 'I'm going to pick up my marbles and leave' -- that's flat out unacceptable. If the nomination doesn't work out, you shouldn't be a sore loser.''

He later said Mr. Smith would never have won re-election to a second term had it not been for help from the state and national parties.

''Bob is also wrong when he says his party has given up its views on defense, gun control, taxes, trade, the importance of human life -- or any other issue,'' he said. ''All of our candidates are good Republicans.''

Aides to Mr. Smith, the first Republican to announce this year that he was running for President, said he would have no comment until he declared his intentions on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday. But in a recent interview, Mr. Smith expressed frustration with his party, saying: ''Right now we have one political party in America. It's run by moderate Democrats and moderate Republicans, and conservatives are stuck.''

He said then that he would create his own party or seek to run as a member of the Reform or U.S. Taxpayers Party. Today, Mr. Smith's advisers said he had made no decision about which party he would favor. But they said the Reform Party was the least likely option.

Despite Mr. Smith's earlier threats about bolting the party, some Republicans here were caught off guard by his decision. Hours before word seeped out, many Republicans scoffed at the notion that Mr. Smith might leave the fold.

''I am not worried,'' said Betsy DeVos, the chairwoman from Michigan. ''Republicans are so determined to take back the White House.''

Ferrell Blount, the national committeeman from North Carolina, was also adamant, saying: ''Bob Smith is a Republican and we're the big-tent party. There might be some banter back and forth on the stump. But this is the most unified Republican Party that I have ever seen.''

Beyond the intraparty debate, Republicans did take the opportunity at their gathering in Philadelphia to focus on the Democrats. Instead of lambasting the President, Mr. Nicholson set his sights on Mr. Gore, former Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey, who is challenging Mr. Gore, and a new target: Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is considering a race for the Senate from New York.

''She says she's being drafted,'' Mr. Nicholson said. ''Well, if she is, she's the only Clinton I know to ever answer the draft.'' The audience roared its approval.

Photo: Senator Robert C. Smith is planning a run outside his party. (Associated Press)